From the Trenches World Report

Reason – by Eugene Volokh

Introduced a few weeks by Florida state senator Jason Pizzo:

(1) A minor who posts or publishes a picture of a firearm, a BB gun, an air or a gas-operated gun, or a device displayed to resemble a firearm to a social media page, post, profile, or account that is openly viewable to the public commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable [by up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $1000]. Continue reading “Florida Bill Would Make It a Crime for Minors to Post Pictures of Guns on Social Media”

The Intercept – by Lee Fang, April 14, 2014

SOFT ROBOTS THAT can grasp delicate objects, computer algorithms designed to spot an “insider threat,” and artificial intelligence that will sift through large data sets — these are just a few of the technologies being pursued by companies with investment from In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm, according to a document obtained by The Intercept.

Yet among the 38 previously undisclosed companies receiving In-Q-Tel funding, the research focus that stands out is social media mining and surveillance; the portfolio document lists several tech companies pursuing work in this area, including Dataminr, Geofeedia, PATHAR, and TransVoyant.   Continue reading “Flashback: The CIA Is Investing in Firms That Mine Your Tweets and Instagram Photos”

Forbes – by Neil Howe

Is technological progress bad for human autonomy? That’s the question posed by Shoshana Zuboff in “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” a book that recounts the ways in which corporations and governments are using technology to influence our behavior. Zuboff is just the latest to chime in on “totalitarian technology” (or “total tech”), a term that describes devices and algorithms by which individuals forfeit their privacy and autonomy for the benefit of either themselves or some third party.   Continue reading “The Rise Of Totalitarian Technology”

Anti-War – by Jason Ditz

On Monday, President Trump will officially propose his new budget plan, which calls for major cuts in domestic spending across the board, but which also seeks a large further increase in military spending, above and beyond the increases already planned.

Exact figures aren’t clear at this point, but what is clear is that the general direction of this budget is going to face major opposition within the House of Representatives, not just from the Democratic leadership, but from some Republicans as well.   Continue reading “Trump Budget Would Slash Domestic Spending, Boost Military Spending”

Breitbart – by AWR Hawkins

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed legislation Friday to criminalize private gun sales in the state.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that there has been a great divide over the bill, with state-level Democrats pushing it while gun rights groups, the vast majority of New Mexico Sheriffs, and New Mexico county governments oppose it.   Continue reading “New Mexico’s Democrat Governor Signs Bill to Criminalize Private Gun Sales”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

In a surprising and provocative ultimatum, Syria has notified Israel through United Nations diplomatic channels that it is prepared to go to war if Israel does not leave the Golan Heights.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad reportedly sent the message through the head of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), Christine Lund, this past week, according to a World Israel News report and later picked up other major Israeli sources, including The Jerusalem Post. “Syria will attack Israel if it does not leave the Golan Heights,” Mikdad told the UN representative.   Continue reading “Syria Notifies Israel It Will Attack If IDF Doesn’t Leave Golan Heights”

New Yorker – by Patrick Radden Keefe

The north wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a vast, airy enclosure featuring a banked wall of glass and the Temple of Dendur, a sandstone monument that was constructed beside the Nile two millennia ago and transported to the Met, brick by brick, as a gift from the Egyptian government. The space, which opened in 1978 and is known as the Sackler Wing, is also itself a monument, to one of America’s great philanthropic dynasties. The Brooklyn-born brothers Arthur, Mortimer, and Raymond Sackler, all physicians, donated lavishly during their lifetimes to an astounding range of institutions, many of which today bear the family name: the Sackler Gallery, in Washington; the Sackler Museum, at Harvard; the Sackler Center for Arts Education, at the Guggenheim; the Sackler Wing at the Louvre; and Sackler institutes and facilities at Columbia, Oxford, and a dozen other universities. Continue reading “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain”

Oil Price – by Robert Rapier

Last week I wrote an article — Water Is Not A Fuel — discussing a press release I had received from Australian-Israeli startup Electriq~Global. As I noted in that article, it wasn’t my intent to criticize the company’s technology, but rather to explain how a person should approach these sorts of press releases.

In general, one should apply a healthy dose of skepticism, and then ask a number of critical questions. This press release didn’t go into enough details to ascertain the credibility of the technology, but I was subsequently contacted by the company to clear up my questions.   Continue reading “Onboard Hydrogen: Is This The Future Of Zero Emission Vehicles?”

Mint Press News – by Whitney Webb

WASHINGTON — On Monday, in an all-but-unreported news item, the Pentagon announced that it would be paying $946 million to Lockheed Martin toward the installation of a missile defense system that was purchased — not by the United States government — but by Saudi Arabia. In other words, the Pentagon is paying nearly $1 billion to subsidize a purchase made by a foreign power.   Continue reading “US Taxpayers On the Hook for Nearly $1 Billion in Saudi Arabia’s Recent Missile Defense Purchase”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

As of March 7, US immigration officials have quarantined at least 2,287 migrants carrying everything from mumps to chickenpox, according to Reuters, citing an ICE official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

ICE health officials have been notified of 236 confirmed or probable cases of mumps among detainees in 51 facilities in the past 12 months, compared to no cases detected between January 2016 and February 2018. Last year, 423 detainees were determined to have influenza and 461 to have chicken pox. All three diseases are largely preventable by vaccine. –Reuters

Continue reading “US Quarantines Over 2,200 Migrants Amid “Unprecedented” Disease Outbreaks”